Lincoln-Sudbury solar canopy project to be delayed

After initially hoping to start construction this summer, officials at Lincoln-Sudbury High School will have to wait a little longer for their planned solar parking lot cover.

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

Posted Jul. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 14, 2013 at 2:04 PM

By Scott O'Connell/Daily News staff

Posted Jul. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 14, 2013 at 2:04 PM

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After initially hoping to start construction this summer, officials at Lincoln-Sudbury High School will have to wait a little longer for their planned solar parking lot cover.

How long, however, is a question the school board is still trying to get an answer to, as it awaits the fate of its application to the state's Solar Carve-Out program, which quickly reached its cap for projects this past spring.

"At this time, obviously, it's not going to start in the summer," said committee Chairman Radha Gargeya. "But we're still hoping the project could be approved this year."

Gargeya added the board plans to send a letter to the Department of Energy Resources next week to get more information about how projects are approved.

But according to Mike Judge, associate RPS program manager at the agency, projects like L-S's that did not secure an interconnectivity permit from a utility before the Solar Carve-Out program's June 7 deadline won't be approved this year. After originally planning to accept up to 400 megawatts worth of projects, the program ended up receiving almost 1,000 megawatts worth of applications from homeowners, businesses and public entities around the state, he said, and had to establish a cutoff.

"Some are just going to have to wait, unfortunately," Judge said, adding the DOER hopes to roll out another program with a much higher cap of between 900 and 1,100 megawatts early next year.

The good news for L-S, however, is that the type of solar project it is planning - an expansive, 1.2-megawatt solar canopy covering almost the entire school parking lot - may fit the category of resourceful projects the state plans to prioritize in the next application period.

"I think it would be in keeping with our policy," Judge said, which is to encourage construction of solar arrays on rooftops, landfills and other previously developed sites, as opposed to on open spaces.

Although L-S officials had hoped to avoid a delay, Gargeya said another bright side to waiting is that solar technology continues to improve rapidly, and that the school's project could have access to more efficient panels than are available on the market now.

The district estimates it will save close to $100,000 annually on its energy costs with the cover, which will be built and maintained for free by Maryland-based solar company SunEdison in exchange for a 20-year power purchase agreement with L-S. Despite the likely delay of construction, Gargeya said SunEdison is "committed to the project" and working with the high school and the state to get it off the ground.

Scott O'Connell can be reached at 508-626-4449 or soconnell@wickedlocal.com.